Art StevesIn 26 seasons as head coach of the Fort LeBoeuf wrestling program from 1963-1989, Steves' Bison compiled an overall record of 325-80-7. He also coached 23 District 10 champions and three PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state champs, despite never having been a wrestler.
Arthur E. Steves was born on July 30, 1936, in Juva, Pa. Mr. Steves graduated from Union City High School and Slippery Rock University. He was a teacher and coach at Fort LeBoeuf High School for 26 years before retiring in 1989.
Coach Steves was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1989, the Metropolitan Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Union City Wall of Achievement in 2009. The high school where he served for just over a quarter-century honored Steves by placing him on the Fort LeBoeuf Wall of Fame. In December 2014, Fort LeBoeuf named its new wrestling room in his honor.
"Art was one of the most positive people I've ever met," said Tom Elling, an NCAA All-American for Lock Haven and author of "PA Wrestling Handbook" who now shares his insights into the sport in the Keystone State with his Pennsylvania Wrestling website http://pawrsl.com.
"He could light up a room as soon as he entered. What struck me most about him was that he never had excuses for any of his kids losing. He was the same guy every time you talked to him. I haven't seen him for years, but I feel an emptiness without Art in the wrestling world."
John Dudley, wrestling writer for the Erie Times-News, published this tribute to Art Steves on Sunday.
"The man could also coach ... But once you got to know Steves, even a little, you understood that wrestling was simply the sport into which he chose to pour his formidable teaching and motivational skills. He just as easily could have coached championship athletes in baseball, or football or cricket.
"Any room into which Steves set foot -- wrestling room, classroom, dining room, didn't matter -- instantly became his.
"He connected with people, especially young people, especially young athletes, and he understood how to push them and make them want to be successful. That's not easy.
"Steves never wrestled, yet he became an iconic figure in the sport both here and statewide, universally recognized and respected."
Art Steves is survived by his wife of 55 years, Phyllis Steves; three children, and three grandchildren.
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